Periodontal treatment costs range from about $200 per quadrant for a deep cleaning to $12,000 or more for full-mouth laser surgery. The total you’ll pay depends on how far gum disease has progressed, which procedures you need, and whether you have dental insurance. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect at each stage.
Diagnostic Costs Before Treatment
Before any treatment begins, your dentist or periodontist needs to assess how much bone and gum tissue you’ve lost. This typically involves a comprehensive exam and a full-mouth series of X-rays, which averages $226 but can range from $175 to $428. Some offices bundle the exam fee into the X-ray cost, while others charge separately for the evaluation. If you’re being referred to a periodontist for the first time, expect to pay for a new patient exam on top of imaging.
Scaling and Root Planing (Deep Cleaning)
For mild to moderate gum disease, the first line of treatment is scaling and root planing. This two-step deep cleaning removes tartar buildup from below the gumline and smooths the tooth roots so gums can reattach. It costs $198 to $272 per quadrant, meaning a full mouth (four quadrants) runs roughly $792 to $1,088 before insurance.
Most people don’t need all four quadrants treated at once. Your dentist may recommend treating two quadrants per visit, splitting the cost across two appointments a week or two apart. This also makes the procedure more comfortable, since only half your mouth is numb at a time.
Periodontal Maintenance Visits
After a deep cleaning or gum surgery, you don’t go back to standard cleanings. Instead, you’ll need periodontal maintenance visits, typically every three to four months. These cost $140 to $220 per visit without insurance, compared to $85 to $160 for a standard cleaning. The higher price reflects the extra work involved: your hygienist cleans both above and below the gumline and checks pocket depths to monitor whether gum disease is stable or progressing.
These visits are ongoing. Most people with a history of periodontal disease stay on a three- to four-month maintenance schedule indefinitely. Over a year, that adds up to $420 to $880 for three visits, or $560 to $880 for four. It’s a real recurring cost worth budgeting for, but it’s far cheaper than letting gum disease advance to the point where you need surgery.
Gum Surgery Costs
When deep cleaning isn’t enough to control the disease, surgical options come into play. Traditional periodontal surgery, which involves folding back the gum tissue to clean deep pockets and reshape damaged bone, costs $600 to $3,000 depending on the extent of the procedure and how many teeth are involved.
Gum grafting, used when gum recession has exposed tooth roots, is more expensive. The national average for gum graft surgery is $2,742, with costs ranging from $2,120 to $4,982. Connective tissue grafts (where tissue is taken from the roof of your mouth) and free gingival grafts are similar in price. Pedicle grafts, which use tissue from the gum right next to the affected tooth, tend to cost less since no tissue needs to be harvested from a second site.
Laser Treatment (LANAP)
Laser-assisted new attachment procedure, or LANAP, is a less invasive alternative to traditional gum surgery. A laser targets diseased tissue and bacteria without cutting or suturing, which generally means less pain and faster recovery. The tradeoff is cost: LANAP averages $1,250 to $3,000 per quadrant, or $5,000 to $12,000 for a full mouth. That’s significantly more than traditional surgery, and not all insurance plans cover it.
LANAP can be a good option if you have moderate to severe gum disease across multiple areas and want to avoid the longer recovery of conventional surgery. But the price difference is substantial enough that it’s worth asking your periodontist whether traditional surgery would achieve comparable results in your specific case.
What Insurance Typically Covers
Dental insurance carriers generally categorize periodontal treatment as a major procedure and cover 50% to 80% of costs after your annual deductible. That means a full-mouth deep cleaning that costs $1,000 out of pocket might drop to $200 to $500 with insurance.
There are a few common limitations to watch for. Many plans have annual maximums between $1,000 and $2,000, which can be exhausted quickly if you need surgery. Some plans impose waiting periods of 6 to 12 months before covering major procedures, so a new policy may not help immediately. Periodontal maintenance visits are sometimes covered at a lower rate than standard cleanings, or your plan may only cover a set number of cleanings per year regardless of type. Call your insurer before treatment to confirm what’s covered and at what percentage.
The Cost of Delaying Treatment
Periodontal disease doesn’t plateau on its own. Left untreated, it destroys the bone supporting your teeth, eventually leading to tooth loss. Replacing a single lost tooth with a dental implant costs $3,000 to $6,000, including the implant post, connector piece, and crown. If you lose multiple teeth, the costs multiply quickly, and that doesn’t account for any bone grafting that may be needed before implants can even be placed.
A full course of non-surgical periodontal treatment, including the initial deep cleaning and a year of maintenance visits, typically costs $1,200 to $2,000 before insurance. That’s less than half the cost of replacing even one tooth. Treating gum disease early is one of the clearest cost-benefit calculations in dentistry.
Full Cost Summary
- Full-mouth X-rays: $175 to $428
- Deep cleaning (per quadrant): $198 to $272
- Deep cleaning (full mouth): $792 to $1,088
- Periodontal maintenance (per visit): $140 to $220
- Traditional gum surgery: $600 to $3,000
- Gum grafting: $2,120 to $4,982
- LANAP laser treatment (full mouth): $5,000 to $12,000
All figures reflect costs without insurance. Your location matters too: prices in major metro areas tend to run 20% to 40% higher than in rural or suburban practices. If cost is a barrier, ask about payment plans. Many periodontal offices offer in-house financing or work with third-party lenders that let you spread the expense over 6 to 24 months.